A Beautiful Tale from the Old World

T here is something magical about the inner workings of pioneer homes. Books such as Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie or Katherine Worth’s They Loved to Laugh shine a light on the sheer amount of labor it took to keep a working farm running smoothly and how they could be so self-sustaining. As a young reader, I delighted in learning how head cheese was made, how early one had to rise to milk the cows, what it took to spin one’s own yarn and weave it into cloth, how one made a wooden yoke, and the importance of baking bread daily. Clearly, it was hard work, but I found the dedication and ingenuity inspiring and the scenes painted by each author to have a warm, meaningful feel to them. Indeed, that same feeling comes back when I read Kate Seredy’s cheerful, lovely tale, The Good Master.

Set not in America but on the Hungarian plains at the turn of the century, this award-winning book was published in 1935. Seredy tells the story of young Kate (though the tale is not autobiographical), a city girl who is sent to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousin on their ranch. Kate is a wild imp whose mother has died and whose father knows he cannot provide the strong, corrective hand she needs. This is amply, ably given to her by her uncle, Marton, the “good master” of the book’s title, and we see his wisdom and kindness transform his niece from a screaming, disobedient nuisance to a healthy, pleasing child.

This is one of those marvelous books that contain a bit of everything: adventure, history, folklore, farming, horses, holidays — and, through each of these, it opens our eyes to the richness of Hungarian culture. Like the American pioneers (though not pioneers themselves), the members of this busy ranch are continuously laboring. Mother is endlessly cooking meals, sewing clothing, and tending her garden. Uncle Marton owns a vast amount of livestock and is constantly riding from pasture to pasture, checking with his herdsmen on the wellbeing of his sheep, cattle, and horses. Kate’s boy cousin, Jancsi, has daily chores in the barn, and longs to be old enough to go with his father on extended pasture tours.

Familiar as these tasks seem to us, other aspects of the tale are quick to catch our attention. Mother is described creating what sound like pysanky eggs for Easter. The vast, multi-skirted outfits she and Kate wear are the stuff of many a girl’s dreams. Father and Jancsi also wear unique costumes, and all of these are delicately illustrated by Seredy herself in well-placed areas of the book. Readers are also treated to Hungarian folklore, with stories and legends from the country scattered throughout the narrative.

Seredy would have known this folklore well, as she was born in Budapest in 1899 and lived there until her early 20s. She studied art in Budapest, was a nurse in Paris during World War I, and eventually moved to the United States. Here, she put her artistic talent to excellent use as she worked to become fluent in English. The Good Master was the result of encouragement she received from the children’s editor at Viking Press, May Massee. Upon publication, it was awarded a Newbery Honor, and Seredy would go on to receive a Newbery Award, a Caldecott Honor, and a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for some of her other works.

Though some sources say Seredy considered her writing to be “an excuse for making pictures,” she writes vividly about the people and landscapes of Hungary. She also understood how to craft stories for children, balancing adventure with peaceful moments, and she creates models of true courage and leadership without ever becoming preachy. And even though her books aren’t specifically horse-focused, her description of these majestic animals is enough to sate even the most passionate equestrian-lover.

Seredy went on to write a sequel to The Good Master, titled The Singing Tree, and it is set during World War I. This story is absolutely worth reading but is decidedly heavier in tone than its predecessor. I’m also reliably informed that her short book A Tree for Peter is very moving, and I personally love the story and pictures in her 1955 book, Philomena. This charming account of a young country girl looking for work in the big city is amusing and sweet, and Seredy has a knack for depicting her characters with just the right facial expression in the accompanying art.

So take a step back in time and travel to another country. Join Kate and Jancsi as they gallop their way across green and gold fields, revel at the town festival, glory in the sunrise, and rejoice over a life-giving rainfall. I wish you a wonderful journey.